


The Commute

by KingsCourt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-05-29 13:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15074624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingsCourt/pseuds/KingsCourt
Summary: Levi has had a regular routine to his life for as long as he cared to remember. He now has a welcomed change to at least one part of that routine though when a nervous-stranger has made him his unofficial bus-buddy during their commutes. Will this cause a total upheaval in his life for better or worse?Rating will go up as relationship progresses, this is a slow burn though, you have been warned.First fic on the site!





	1. First Stop

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”

If he wasn’t already nearly running late, he would have turned around and given that man a mouthful. Hell, if his boss didn’t schedule this meeting first thing in the morning, he wouldn’t be out during rush hour and pushing through the throngs of people to get to his bus stop in the first place. As it was though, he was a half a block away from the stop a minute before the next scheduled bus. He could only hope that the traffic could add a couple minutes to that time.

Luck decided to favor him, seeing the small group of people waiting at the stop still and no bus in sight. A small ping notified him of a text message.

[Hey, honey bunch, want me to grab you a coffee on my way in?]

He felt some tension leave his shoulders at the promise of caffeine, and texted back his thanks. Sometimes he did truly appreciate his rowdy friend and coworker. Although as he watched more people join the group at the bus stop, he was reminded of why he also couldn’t stand them. As an account executive, he could easily afford to not take the bus to work. His friend Hanji, however, was dead set on him using public transit when possible and the heckling would never cease unless he gave in.

“But Leviiiiiii, the environment-”

God, he could hear that obnoxious voice as clear as day ringing inside his head. Luckily the bus pulled up at that very moment. Levi waited patiently behind other the other passengers as they tapped their cards or put bills in the machine before quickly snagging one of the few open seats. The bus was starting to fill up, and he was certain that someone would eventually sit next to him, but for now, he was grateful for the space in the hot smelly environment. There is not one person alive or dead who would describe Levi as someone who liked to be around people. The combination of crowds and germs that came with public transit almost outweighed the idea of getting hounded by Hanji on a daily basis. Almost.

It was another two stops into his fourteen-stop commute when it looked as though the inevitable was to happen. He stared stubbornly out the window as another man sat next to him. Thankfully, the guy didn’t seem to be a space hog. In fact, now that Levi took a side-glance over, he seemed quite the opposite. Thin legs were squeezed together, tan hands holding a messenger bag in a vice grip on his lap. The man’s entire posture seemed rigid as he kept his gaze up and forward with an expression that made it seem like he was staring into death itself. As the bus lurched forward Levi could have sworn the body next to him started to tremble. Levi decided to let his eyes wander back to the window instead of examining the strange man next to him any further. He’s had his share of weird bus neighbors in the past, at least this one smelled nice, like coffee and lavender. Maybe the the man hated people as much as Levi, or maybe he had a job interview to be nervous about. Levi allowed the comforting scent to fill his nose for his trip, constantly reminding himself that at the end of this journey there was a coffee waiting for him.

Two stops before his own, the tense neighbor stood up after the bus came to a complete halt, heaving a relieved sigh so large it made Levi wonder if he had been holding his breath this entire trip. The man stepped out into the walkway only to jump back to let a child and mother bumble through to the front. As he did so his phone shot out of his pocket and back into the seat, not that he apparently noticed as he continued to step into the line of people exiting the bus. Levi clicked his tongue at the revelation he was going to be forced to interact with the stranger, while simultaneously grabbing the device. Half standing, half leaning over the seat in front of him he tapped the man’s arm gently with the phone.

“Oi, you dropped your phone.”

A younger looking face than he was expecting swiveled around to stare down at his outreached hand, before gently plucking it out of his grip and looking up to meet his mildly annoyed gaze. Before, Levi had been pondering the age of the kid whose face seemed to not match his height, now he was struggling to process the number of colors in his eyes. Bright forest green rings, fading into blue and amber flakes like a collection of precious gemstones shattered and melded together held his gaze for most likely not even a second, but to Levi it felt like an eternity as he watched a tight smile form on the boy’s face, just big enough to show the promise of dimples.

“Thanks.”

Was all he said, but with that one word he brought the noise of the bus and crowded streets back to his ears like a tidal wave. He hadn’t even noticed that the sounds had been gone, or that he was holding his breath until the boy was fully turned around and walking off the bus.

Levi slumped back down slowly, allowing his frown to deepen as he stared back out the window. He’s not sure what came over him just then, but he most certainly didn’t like it. That’s what he kept telling himself at least for the remainder of his ride, and the short walk from the stop to his office building until he heard squealling ripping through his clouded thoughts.

“There you are sunshine! I’m so happy we get to work with each other today!”

The source of the noise skipped into his line of vision, holding two reusable coffee cups, one silver, one canary yellow. The former was stretched out towards him, which he accepted with an appreciative hum.

“Good morning Hanji, thank you for the coffee, but please for the love of god stop screeching this early in the day.”

Already walking forward to the elevators, Levi couldn’t see the roll of their eyes, but he could hear it in their voice.

“Aren’t you the least bit excited?”

“No.” He stated, punctuating his opinion with the call button.

“But we get to work together.” They continued while following him into the elevator.

Levi didn’t say anything, instead pressing the button for the necessary floor.

“And it’s a new type of project for us, we’ve never had a client like this,” They tried again.

“We’ve had law firms before.”

“Yeah, but Levi, not one that focuses on international human rights! That’s so neat!”

He hummed in response as the elevator doors opened to their floor. Levi walked briskly across the open floor plan towards where the conference rooms were located, all the while Hanji trailed behind excitedly chittering away about the possibilities. What those were, Levi didn’t know as he was ignoring her in favor of savoring his morning coffee.

The conference room was filling up, their boss, Erwin Smith standing at the head of the table, organizing some documents to pass around. He nodded to them as they entered, to which Levi returned, and Hanji yelled back an excited, “Hiya, Erwin!” 

As they sat a cheerful, “Good morning you two,” came from Levi’s right.

“Good morning, Petra,” Levi responded back over his coffee than nearly spilled as Hanji leaned over his seat from the left.

“Hi Petra! Are you excited!?”

Petra giggled at her antics, and the two continued chatting over Levi. He paid no mind, be far too used to the situation, he should really just switch seats with one of them.

“Alright all, I’m going to pass around some documents,” Erwin stated in a voice just loud enough to ensure that everyone heard him.

As the papers started moving to the back of the room, Levi put his coffee down so that he could hand them to Petra.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile and a cock of her head. Something she had probably said a million times to Levi, but this time he was freezing up at a flashback to big multi-colored eyes, and a smile with cheeks so painfully close to showing their divots. 

“Um, are you gonna let go of these papers, Levi?”

“Oh,” He came back to, startled to find that he was indeed gripping the papers in his hand still, “Sorry.”

After that, the meeting droned on, but Levi found himself unable to fully focus as his mind circled around the man from the bus. Every whiff from his coffee transporting him back to the morning and bringing questions to the tip of his tongue that he couldn’t even begin to formulate words for.


	2. Familiar Route

After a long day of meetings and constant interactions with coworkers and clients, the only thing on Levi’s mind was returning to the solitude and quiet of his apartment. This desire only increased as he stood under the bus stop’s shelter, which was growing increasingly populated as the sky darkened with the threat or rain. As someone who despised the feeling any uncleanliness or crowd, the suffocating humidity alone was enough to set Levi on edge without the current proximity of all his fellow commuters. He gained a brief reprieve as the crowd thinned out to line up for the approaching bus, only to step into an even more undesirable setting. 

 

The vehicle was already packed, all seats occupied with those trying to avoid the impending weather and regular rushour participants. Levi let out a sigh as he braced himself in the center of the bus, refusing to grab on to any of the bars or straps that one could only imagine what kind of filth must be lurking on. Luckily, he was well enough in shape and naturally coordinated enough to keep his footing for the next couple minutes. The executive busied himself on his phone, going over menial emails that were not important enough to address in the office, but now could provide him with an escape from the environment that threatened to bring on either nausea or headache. 

 

Soon a couple stood up from a nearby seat, giggling as some of their groceries toppled to the floor. Levi couldn’t help but sneer as they picked up a few apples, and tried to rid himself of the mental picture of them eating them later as he took his seat. Surely though they would throw the fruit away now that it had rolled around on a floor which saw more feet than a podiatrist on any given day, right? He could only hope as he dove back into his emails, enjoying the small bubble of space he found on the bus as the rain started to pound down around them. 

 

A short lived experience as someone joined him at the very next stop. Levi allowed the fact to slip by with little recognition as it was to be expected, as long as they didn’t get their rained on clothes anywhere his perfectly dry body he would be fine. This new wave of commuters joining the bus brought a wave of sounds and smells. Umbrellas clinking against rails, soaked jackets shaking off residual droplets, shoes squeaking obnoxiously on the floor, and the permeating smell that would best be described to resemble that of a wet dog. The fact that there was a popular scent of candle called “Fresh Rain” was a laughable thought in the current environment. Well, it might have been if Levi was not so disgusted by the air around him, feeling the nausea starting to stir in his empty stomach as the bus lurched forward violently from the stop. 

 

Levi faintly heard his neighbor let out an explicative as his body jerked forward with the movement of the vehicle, an act that scent a fresh wave of air towards him cutting through the previous odors and carrying the slight relaxing scent of lavender and coffee. A pleasant combo, but not one he would expect to encounter twice in one day. 

 

A quick look to his right confirmed that the boy from early that day was again sitting next to him. Still clutching his bag like he was trying to hold together the fabric of the universe, still keeping his wide eyes dead ahead. If Levi was in a better mood, perhaps he would be tempted to ask why they boy was acting like there was a cold metal rod shoved straight up his ass. He was in no such mood though; he had no desire to engage in any other human interaction for the rest of the day and this crammed bus was already pushing him to his limits. Although, admittedly having the same companion as this morning felt less intrusive. Was it because of the familiarity? The distraction they boy provided as the executive tried to mull over his odd behaviour? The calming scent he brought with him? 

 

Whatever the answer may be wouldn’t be found out tonight as the boy was standing to get off the now halted bus. As he stepped into the isle way, he pointedly reached into his back pocket and picked out his phone, making a nodding motion towards Levi as he did while keeping his eyes down. Almost a nonverbal way of saying, “Didn’t forget it this time!” before exiting the bus. 

 

‘Huh,’ Levi thought as watched the boy’s back, “So he remembered sitting with me too?” 

 

“Odd.” He stated out loud, right as another passenger sat next to him. He paid no mind to their undoubtable unamused expression, based off their smell and the way they had plopped themselves so ungracefully into the seat he could already tell that they were not as pleasant of a neighbor as the boy had been. His attention was already turned back to watching the rain against the window as he pondered whether or not he had any lavender-infused tea to make up once he made it safely home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies, 
> 
> Sorry for the delay on this, life has been more than hectic. Kudos and comments keep me going though!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, so this is my first fic on this site. I will try to update pretty frequently at first to get the ball rolling here. This chapter is just a short introduction. 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos to help keep me motivated!


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